"This is an opportunity for the deaf community to share with our hearing community some of the issues they're facing and how the problems in communication can be resolved," said Sandy Trusewych of the West Central Illinois Center for Independent Living.

The center is presenting the symposium from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Quincy Senior and Family Resource Center, 639 York. No reservations are necessary, and lunch will be available for a small fee.

Trusewych says the event is targeted to parents of deaf and hard of hearing children, educators, business leaders, city, county and state employers, law enforcement, medical professionals and social service personnel from West-Central Illinois and Northeast Missouri.

John Miller, executive director of the Illinois Deaf and Hard of Hearing Commission, and Roy Miller, executive director of the Missouri Commission of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, will be the keynote speakers from 9 to 10 a.m.

Workshops will be presented from 10 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 2 p.m., followed by a panel discussion of people affected by hearing loss at 2 p.m. Interpreters, video relay interpreting and live captioning will be available during the presentations.

In addition, about 20 exhibitors will provide information and display products designed to improve communication for the deaf and hard of hearing.

"We're slowly approaching the time when technology is answering some of these (communication) problems and replacing the need for a live interpreter," Trusewych said.

According to the U.S. Census, Illinois has more than 1 million individuals with hearing loss, which represents 8.6 percent of the population. But Trusewych says awareness of the challenges they face is limited.

"The biggest challenge is one of attitude," she said. "There may be embarrassment or reluctance to engage (a person with hearing loss) in conversation. The goal is to make that scenario a little more comfortable for people. It is worth getting around those obstacles."

The symposium will offer suggestions about how to positively interact with the deaf and hard of hearing and will serve as a forum to discuss their needs and rights — for instance, the right to have interpreters in hospital, legal and school settings.

Other challenges in this region, Trusewych says, include the lack of higher-level interpreters and a disaster warning system that doesn't take into account the deaf and hard of hearing population.

By Kelly Wilson
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